The remaining warriors didn't hesitate.
They had no choice but to fight.
BOOM!
A hulking warrior from the Stormcloud Sect slammed his fists together, generating a massive gust of wind. His Qi roared around him like a hurricane, his Storm Titan Body surging to its peak.
"QIN TIAN! LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN CUT THROUGH THE WIND!" He bellowed, his arms coated in whirling cyclones as he charged.
CRACKLE!
A spear-user from the Golden Flame Clan leapt forward at the same time, his weapon coated in golden fire, stabbing toward Qin Tian's exposed side.
Another cultivator flickered into existence—a shadow cultivator from the Black Mist Assassins, his daggers gleaming with poisonous mist, striking toward Qin Tian's back.
Three warriors. Three directions.
And Qin Tian?
He stood still.
The wind howled. The flames surged. The poison flickered.
And then—
"Too slow."
SHING!
A silver arc of pure destruction flashed across the battlefield.
The hurricane exploded, severed into nothingness.
The spear shattered, the fire dying instantly.
The assassin staggered, his poisoned daggers falling to the ground as his arms vanished, severed at the elbows.
A blink later—
Three bodies collapsed to the ground.
But the survivors weren't deterred.
No.
They were madmen, warriors who refused to fall without a fight.
A swordsman from the Emerald Lotus Sect took a deep breath, his blade glowing with a piercing green light.
"Emerald Lotus – Hundred Petal Dance!" He slashed forward, his sword splitting into a hundred phantom blades, each one aiming for Qin Tian.
A cultivator from the Silver Moon Pavilion flicked his fingers, nine chains of silver energy launching from his hands, trying to bind Qin Tian in place.
A heavy-armored warrior from the Ironclad Sect charged like a warbeast, his entire body a moving fortress, radiating an unstoppable aura.
Qin Tian grinned.
Finally.
A fight.
He vanished.
SHING.
The Hundred Petal Dance was severed in a single stroke—the phantom blades disappearing as the swordsman fell backward, a deep cut running from his shoulder to his hip.
The nine chains shattered before they could even touch Qin Tian. The cultivator who had launched them fell to his knees, his arms severed from his body before he even realized what had happened.
And then—
Qin Tian turned toward the Ironclad Sect warrior.
"Titan-Cutting Blade Technique."
BOOOOOOM!
His sword crashed into the armored warrior's chest, splitting his massive figure in two.
SHATTER!
The battlefield quaked.
The Ironclad warrior's body crashed into the ground, his armor—once thought unbreakable—split cleanly in half.
Silence.
And then—
Only a handful remained.
The battlefield was no longer chaotic.
The weak had been culled.
Only the strongest from each faction remained.
And now—they stepped forward.
A man with jet-black armor, his fists wrapped in void-black Qi, eyes burning with an unyielding will.
A woman in golden robes, her hands surrounded by divine runes, her aura pulsing with celestial light.
A pale swordsman, standing in complete silence, his blade reflecting the glow of the battlefield.
And finally—
A woman wreathed in Phoenix Flames.
Her crimson eyes burned with intensity. Her crimson hair flowed like liquid fire.
Feng Yuechan.
Jiang Chen's golden-amber eyes narrowed slightly.
So she's finally making a move.
The warriors from the remaining factions faced Qin Tian, their battle-hardened gazes sharp, their bodies tense.
They weren't shaken by his previous dominance.
They were excited.
They were the true elites of their factions.
And now?
It was time for the real battle to begin.
The battlefield stood silent.
The only sound was the faint hum of Qin Tian's sword as it vibrated gently in his grasp, still carrying the echoes of his previous carnage. Around him, the battered remnants of the various factions stood warily, their eyes sharp, but their bodies hesitant.
Because despite having cut down nearly all their comrades—Qin Tian wasn't tired.
Not even a little.
He stood tall, his golden eyes calm, his sword unwavering. A predator among exhausted prey.
Jiang Chen, watching from the sidelines, smirked. "That bastard… He really does live up to the Emperor Sword Pavilion's reputation."
Xiao Dong whistled. "He hasn't even drawn his real sword yet."
Bai Muchen, still recovering, let out a rough chuckle. "Yeah, but now he's standing alone against the strongest from every faction. That might change."
Across the battlefield, the remaining warriors exchanged glances.
Then, one of them stepped forward.
Feng Yuechan.
The air shifted.
The flames that surrounded her body burned hotter, the sheer heat of her Vermilion Bird Bloodline making the space around her waver like a mirage. Her golden-red eyes, fierce as a phoenix, locked onto Qin Tian.
"This fight is mine," she said.
The other faction leaders hesitated.
Someone from the Ironshadow Sect frowned. "We should overwhelm him together. If we let him fight one-on-one, he might still—"
BOOOOOOOM!
A pillar of divine flame erupted, forcing everyone back.
Feng Yuechan didn't even turn her head as she spoke again, her voice absolute.
"I said… this fight is mine."
The battlefield held its breath.
Qin Tian merely tilted his head. "So confident?"
Feng Yuechan smirked. "You don't mind, do you?"
The swordmaster laughed softly. "Not at all." He lifted his blade, tapping its flat against his shoulder. "I was hoping for a decent warm-up before the main event."
The air shimmered.
Two prodigies stood across from one another.
One, the unstoppable swordmaster.
The other, the soaring phoenix.
And then—
They moved.
BOOOOOOM!
Qin Tian vanished.
A blink. A shimmer of steel. A single breath's time—
And he was already behind Feng Yuechan.
SHING!
His sword slashed through the air, cutting faster than the human eye could follow.
Feng Yuechan twisted, her own movements graceful, yet ruthless.
FWOOSH!
A shield of Vermilion Flames exploded outward, deflecting the attack just in time.
The flames hissed and screeched against Qin Tian's blade, but did not consume it.
Feng Yuechan's eyes narrowed.
That sword… it repels my flames?
Qin Tian's golden gaze flickered with amusement. "Not bad."
Then—he attacked again.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Qin Tian was everywhere at once.
Sword cultivators were known for their supreme offensive power, and Qin Tian reminded everybody present how terrifying they could be when they went all-out.
His blade became a storm of destruction, each slash laced with a sharp sword intent so refined it cut through the battlefield like slicing paper.
With each movement, space itself seemed to distort, his sword slicing apart the air before it could react.
Named attacks rained down upon Feng Yuechan.
"FIRMAMENT SWORD!"
"First Form –Slash The Firmament!"
Each strike was meant to end battles, but Feng Yuechan countered them all.
Her flames burned brighter, her body moving like a bird in flight, dodging with precision that defied logic.
Qin Tian's smirk widened. "You're not just some arrogant flame-user, huh?"
Feng Yuechan scoffed. "You think?"
Then—she attacked.
BOOOOOOOOM!
A sea of golden-red flames exploded outward, consuming everything around her.
Her voice echoed through the battlefield:
"Vermilion Flame Art – Blazing Heavens Dance!"
Qin Tian's eyes narrowed.
**The heat—**it wasn't just fire.
It was pure essence—divine flames inherited from the Vermilion Bird itself.
The flames moved like a sentient entity, striking at him from every angle.
He dodged the first wave—
Parried the second—
But the third?
It grazed him.
SSSSSSHHHHHH!
A thin burn appeared on his forearm, the first real injury he had sustained since stepping onto the battlefield.
The crowd gasped.
"She… she actually hit him!"
Qin Tian stared at the burn.
Then—he grinned.
"Alright. Let's stop playing around."
Qin Tian's sword rose.
For the first time, he held it with both hands.
The pressure around him changed.
The air grew heavy, his aura expanding like a celestial storm.
Feng Yuechan felt it.
For the first time in the fight—she felt genuine danger.
Qin Tian inhaled slowly.
Then—
"Firmament Sword. Second Form - World Splicing Sword Strike!"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The battlefield shattered.
A single slash. A single movement. A massive ray of golden sword qi struck towards Feng Yuechan.
The sheer pressure behind the attack was so overwhelming that the very ground split apart.
The warriors watching barely remained standing.
But in the eye of the storm—
Feng Yuechan still stood.
Her flames roared to life, burning through the very laws of existence.
Her hands rose.
And she unleashed her strongest attack.
"Vermilion Rebirth – Heaven Incinerating Flame!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A phoenix of pure golden fire erupted from her form, screeching toward Qin Tian with the power to reduce mountains to ash.
Qin Tian's blade met it head-on.
A moment of silence.
Then—
An explosion unlike anything before.
Qin Tian's sword trembled in his grasp. His body was slick with sweat, his breathing ragged. Across from him, Feng Yuechan stood firm, her golden eyes flickering like embers, her body still wreathed in the divine flames of the Vermilion Bird Bloodline.
The battlefield had turned into a stage for two monsters.
The air was thick with the remnants of their battle—sword marks carving through the stone, lingering flame Qi still burning the ground.
Qin Tian exhaled, shifting his stance slightly. I've already pushed past my limits… but she's still standing.
Feng Yuechan wiped a smear of blood from the corner of her lips, her phoenix flames still roaring at full strength. Even after taking on Qin Tian's strongest sword techniques, she refused to fall.
A single, deep gash ran diagonally across her side, the only proof that Qin Tian had landed a decisive blow. But in the face of her divine regeneration, the wound was already closing.
She tilted her head slightly, amusement glinting in her eyes. "You fought well, swordsman. But this is as far as you go."
Qin Tian gritted his teeth. Damn it…if only I had mastered the third slash already…
He had fought like a demon, cutting through every opponent in his way. Even against the strongest warriors from the other factions, he had stood unshaken. But Feng Yuechan—she was different. Her strength was unrelenting, her fire an inferno that refused to die.
And she still had something left.
Feng Yuechan raised her hand, the flames on her body growing more intense, twisting and converging until they formed a single, blinding spear of fire in her grasp.
A technique that bore the wrath of a divine beast.
"Vermilion Sun Spear."
The battlefield trembled as the attack gathered energy, the searing heat warping the air itself. The other warriors watching from the sidelines took a step back, their expressions filled with awe—and a hint of fear.
Qin Tian smirked, forcing himself to stand tall. "Hah… Fine then. I'll take it head-on."
He gripped his sword tightly, raising it one last time.
Feng Yuechan's golden gaze locked onto him. Then—
BOOOOOOM!
She launched forward, the Vermilion Sun Spear piercing through the air like a meteor of destruction.
Qin Tian swung his sword in defiance. "Firmament Sword Art! Second Form!"
BOOOOM!
The impact was cataclysmic.
Flames exploded outward in a blinding eruption, swallowing everything in its path. The battlefield cracked beneath the sheer force of their clash, molten Qi carving through stone and air alike.
The entire battlefield shook.
For a brief moment, nothing moved.
Then—a figure was sent flying backward.
Qin Tian crashed into the ground, his sword clattering from his grip. His entire body was burned, his robe scorched, his chest rising and falling with labored breaths. He tried to move—but his body refused to respond.
Feng Yuechan stood over him, her flames flickering wildly, her breathing uneven. She was injured—but she had won.
A hush fell over the battlefield.
The strongest swordsman in the battle had fallen.
The warriors who had been waiting on the sidelines—the strongest from each faction—exchanged glances.
"Qin Tian is down," one of them murmured.
"Only one warrior remains in his faction."
All eyes turned toward the last remaining warrior of the Sundering Legion.
A figure standing at the edge of the battlefield.
A man with golden-amber eyes and an aura that bent the air around him.
Jiang Chen.
Xiao Dong and Bai Muchen grinned from their resting spot near the battlefield.
Bai Muchen chuckled. "Now things are about to get interesting."
Xiao Dong laughed. "That bastard's been waiting for this. I bet he's been itching to step in."
Feng Yuechan, standing above Qin Tian's fallen form, wiped her blade against her sleeve. She turned her gaze toward Jiang Chen.
"You're the last one left," she said, her tone steady but laced with intrigue. "Are you going to fight me next, or are you going to let the others have a turn first?"
Jiang Chen stepped forward, his expression unreadable.
He looked down at Qin Tian, who was barely clinging to consciousness. The swordsman, despite his wounds, managed a weak smirk. "Tch… about damn time, Jiang Chen… You're up."
Jiang Chen exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders. "You did well, Qin Tian. Rest now."
Then, he turned to face the battlefield.
His gaze swept across the remaining warriors—each of them powerful, each of them now staring at him with varying degrees of anticipation and caution.
He was no longer a hidden monster.
Every faction on this battlefield now understood—Jiang Chen was the final challenge.
Feng Yuechan's lips curled into a smirk. "I was hoping you'd say that."
The tension on the battlefield reached a boiling point.
The warriors surrounding them knew—this was it. The final battle of this floor was about to begin.
Jiang Chen rolled his neck, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Alright then."
He stepped forward.
The very air around him shifted.
Golden-amber eyes gleamed with untamed battle intent.
He lifted his hand, and his Chaos Qi roared to life.
The battlefield trembled beneath his presence.
And then—
BOOOOOOM!
The final battle of the 21st floor had begun.